This invention is concerned with a special method and means for separating solids-gasiform material suspensions formed in fluidized solids contact systems. It is particularly concerned with an arrangement of apparatus and the method of using for effecting an efficient separation of fluid catalyst from hydrocarbon vapors or combustion product gases immediately adjacent to the discharge of a riser contact zone.
In cyclone separators normally employed, a suspension comprising a gasiform material with entrained finely divided solid particle material is introduced horizontally into the separator in a tangential manner so as to impart a spiral or centrifugal and swirling moment to the suspension. This centrifugal moment causes the solids to be thrown to the outer wall of the cyclone separator for movement downward to a collecting zone or hopper therebelow. The gasiform material centrifugally separated from solids is removed by a central open ended passageway extending from a plane beneath the suspension tangential inlet upwardly through the top of the cyclone separator. A reduced pressure exists on this gasiform material withdrawal passageway. A particularly useful application of the centrifugal separator is in connection with reactions employing fluidizable catalyst particles such as the catalytic treatment of petroleum fractions by cracking, the regeneration of catalyst in upflowing riser type systems, the synthesis of hydrocarbons from CO and H.sub.2, the conversion of methanol and related low boiling alcohols to liquid hydrocarbons and other well-known prior art fluid catalyst operations.
In modern-day refinery operations employing fluid catalyst cracking operations, enormous amounts of catalyst suspended in a reactant material are handled in a riser conversion zone and an upflowing catalyst regeneration zone. It is necessary to rapidly separate the suspensions into a catalyst phase and a gasiform product phase following a desired contact time within the riser contact zone to obtain desired gasiform product material. The present invention is concerned with an arrangement of apparatus particularly suitable for effecting this separation of the suspension in an efficient manner but also in an arrangement of equipment of smaller dimensions contributing significantly to the economics of the system.